Lyme Disease Science Blog

7 tick-borne pathogens reported in my home state of Minnesota

I left Minnesota in 1982 to begin a medical residency in New York. At that time, I had no knowledge of tick-borne pathogens existing in my home state, let alone the seven that are now being reported. [1] I have treated patients with Lyme disease and associated illnesses for the past 31 years, and have family members in Minnesota who have become ill from tick-borne diseases, so this study and its findings are of particular interest.

B. burgdorferi s.s., A. phagocytophilum, and B. microti were the most common pathogens. “Borrelia burgdorferi s.s. was the most prevalent and geographically widespread, found in 25.24% of all nymphs tested,” writes Johnson and colleagues. [1] The other two were widespread but had a lower incidence rate with A. phagocytophilum and B.microti at 6.29% and 4.68%, respectively.

This study did not address the impact on residents but according to a case report by Sharma from the Mayo Clinic, “Minnesota had 1,176 confirmed Lyme [disease] cases in 2015 (20.7 cases/100,000).” [2]

“Over the last 20 years, the median incidence has risen from 464 cases (1996–2005) to 1121 (2006–2015),” Sharma states.

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Dr. Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH, is a nationally recognized leader for his expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. For more than 25 years, he has been treating adolescents and adults suffering from Lyme disease.

Introduction

Dr. Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH, is a nationally recognized leader for his expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. For more than 30 years, he has been treating adolescents and adults suffering from Lyme disease.